Why so sharp?

[mordi]

Back to the o.p. last week I sharpened my Chinese cleaver to much and at to steep
an angle .Another chef picked it up and started chopping greens.The knife got stuck
on the industrial cutting board every time the blade touched it.He didn't realize that
this was a "gravity knife" cuts by the force of gravity

 

[nozh2002]

Why will it not work?

I imagine this as not straight line edge, but like some sort of saw. So whittling hair with coarse edge, will be like whittling wood with regular saw.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[me2]

Oh, ok. I use it mainly to show that coarse edges can be very sharp by most any definition. I've had a similar discussion before, and my take is that a sharp edge is a sharp edge; refinement and time consuming obsessing isn't required, but it sure helps.

As to why so sharp, because it cuts better, longer, whatever the appropriate finish/grit and angle for the task being performed.

 

[M.Magee]

I worked in a packing plant for about six years. The knives they provided were done on a cozzini system and varied from sharp to downright pitiful. I started doing my own knives because 12 hrs a day using a sort-of-sharp knife can really ruin your hands. It started as seeing how few knives I would use in a day, to using just one knife a day, to lets see how many days I can use just this one knife. Other people noticed this and I started sharpening knives for friends. I eventually wound up in the knife room doing everyones knives. (500 a day) I couldn't do them all as well as I would have liked. But at least they were sharp. The guys that were really good would do their own knives with a triangular file and then take the burr off on a ceramic steel.

 

[intheshaw]

I guess i have a lot of work to do on my sharpening skills. I have always been able to sharpen knives to where they can cut but i always thought you had to get way up in the fine stones to shave hair. I have the course/fine dmt duofold and i can get them sharp but still cant shave hair with them.

 

[me2]

I'd hazard a guess that you have a tenacious burr holding on. Take a couple of LIGHT strokes right into the edge on the coarse side, just to remove any damaged steel, then sharpen like you normally would. This helps get rid of burrs and gives you nice, untouched steel to work with. A magnifier of some sort works wonders, and a marker used to color the edge also helps you see where you've been.

 

[intheshaw]

me2, that worked thanks. I just took a couple strokes and removed the edge a bit then sharpened and now its really sharp. I have it sharp enough that it can shave the hair off of my arm but it still takes a bit of work to do it. Im still going to work at it but im very happy where im at now, and its all thanks to BF

 

[Gunny Bob]

Why so high, so fast, so proficient, so far, so ANYTHING.

The urge that eventually moved us from the trees to the moon.

 

[The Tourist]

I have found my niche' in the sharpening world to be "botique sharpening." Think of it as being a concierge service. And the reasons are just preserving my retirement time and and my likes and dislikes.

Granted, I earned my bones initially setting up in a sporting goods store, and I still see those guys. But how many hoof knives, requests for lawnmower blades and cheap Pakistani tools can a guy tolerate?

I would rather do work that I was proud of, and looked forward to completing. I called Ben Dale of Edge Pro with my concerns, and after designing better polishing equipment (and utilizing bits and pieces from three other companies) I changed up my game.

The answer to "why so sharp" is simply that I got tired of handling crap and fixing junk. I've had slob hunters ask me to fix deer knives still dripping with the blood of a fresh kill. I've had to wash hoof knives still reeking with manure. I've had idiots argue with me about pricing--but still wanting the service.

There's an old adage that states, "If you pay peanuts you get monkeys." And frankly, if you sharpen for monkeys they just come back with their simian brother-inlaw.

This makes my personal EDC more of a rolling billboard. If you want a knife like mine, then bring me something you value and wish to pay for with a fair wage.

Besides, it's motorcycle season as I write this. I'm retired. Who wants to work, at all.

 

[rayban]

I have found my niche' in the sharpening world to be "botique sharpening." Think of it as being a concierge service. And the reasons are just preserving my retirement time and and my likes and dislikes.

Granted, I earned my bones initially setting up in a sporting goods store, and I still see those guys. But how many hoof knives, requests for lawnmower blades and cheap Pakistani tools can a guy tolerate?

I would rather do work that I was proud of, and looked forward to completing. I called Ben Dale of Edge Pro with my concerns, and after designing better polishing equipment (and utilizing bits and pieces from three other companies) I changed up my game.

The answer to "why so sharp" is simply that I got tired of handling crap and fixing junk. I've had slob hunters ask me to fix deer knives still dripping with the blood of a fresh kill. I've had to wash hoof knives still reeking with manure. I've had idiots argue with me about pricing--but still wanting the service.

There's an old adage that states, "If you pay peanuts you get monkeys." And frankly, if you sharpen for monkeys they just come back with their simian brother-inlaw.

This makes my personal EDC more of a rolling billboard. If you want a knife like mine, then bring me something you value and wish to pay for with a fair wage.

Besides, it's motorcycle season as I write this. I'm retired. Who wants to work, at all.

Sounds like you did the right thing by getting away from dealing with people.

 

[stitchawl]

I have found my niche' in the sharpening world to be "botique sharpening."

When you sharpen a boutique, do you start from the front door and work back, or do you prefer a side-to-side motion?

Besides, it's motorcycle season as I write this. I'm retired. Who wants to work, at all.

I want to ride my motorcycle. I want to ride my bike. Riding on my motorcycle is doing what I like. :thumbup:


Stitchawl